Box fans needed for PIN

Summer has barely begun and temperatures have already reached the 90-degree mark in Delaware County. Box fans will be in short supply as the need to beat the heat only increases. The Delaware County Emergency Management Agency and People In Need Inc. have teamed up with area fire departments to collect box fans for people who cannot afford them. At the peak of last summer, the fans on the forklift shown in the photo were all that was left, that was until more donations could be dropped off.

D. Anthony Botkin | The Gazette

The late Kevin James Crowley, People In Need’s former executive director, once said, “When it comes to moving the cool air into the house and the hot air out, even one fan makes a big difference.”

With that simple thought in mind, the Delaware County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, also known as the Delaware County EMA, created the EMA Donate a Fan Drive in 2012 to benefit People In Need, Inc. of Delaware County. The social services agency located at 138 Johnson Drive, Delaware, is a private, not-for-profit 501 (C)(3) dedicated to providing emergency assistance to the residents of the county.

“Since 2012, the fan drive has collected over 500 fans, and the current supply is getting low,” said Sandy Mackey, Delaware EMA deputy director. “With the dangerously high temperatures approaching, the need is great, and we hope to see the donation numbers rise quickly.”

Mackey said PIN provides the fans to clients of the agency who need heat relief in their homes but can’t afford to purchase a fan on their own.

“New box fans can be purchased for under $20 at local retail stores, and the relief they can provide is enormous,” she said. “We created this fan drive with the goal of helping PIN continue to supply new box fans to our community members who need relief from the heat but are unable to purchase a fan of their own.”

New box fans can be purchased at all Walmart, Target and Sam’s Club store location for less than $20.

“Delaware County residents always come through for PIN,” Mackey said. “The fan drive will run until Sept. 15, or until cooler temperatures prevail.”

Donations may be dropped off at any Delaware County EMS or fire station, all Delaware County District Library branches, the EMA office (10 Court St.) or the People in Need Office (138 Johnson Drive).

Crowley once told The Gazette that the area fire departments will sometimes run the fans to PIN almost as soon as they get them.

“They’ll run them in here even if it’s only a couple,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do without all these folks. Thank you to all the fire departments.”

For information, visit www.delcoema.org and click on the media releases tab.

Summer has barely begun and temperatures have already reached the 90-degree mark in Delaware County. Box fans will be in short supply as the need to beat the heat only increases. The Delaware County Emergency Management Agency and People In Need Inc. have teamed up with area fire departments to collect box fans for people who cannot afford them. At the peak of last summer, the fans on the forklift shown in the photo were all that was left, that was until more donations could be dropped off.

https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/06/web1_DSC_3785_F.jpgSummer has barely begun and temperatures have already reached the 90-degree mark in Delaware County. Box fans will be in short supply as the need to beat the heat only increases. The Delaware County Emergency Management Agency and People In Need Inc. have teamed up with area fire departments to collect box fans for people who cannot afford them. At the peak of last summer, the fans on the forklift shown in the photo were all that was left, that was until more donations could be dropped off. D. Anthony Botkin | The Gazette